What I Learned in Paris Fall 2013: Part III

Breaking Paris news! Our friend and Paris food expert extraordinaire David Lebovitz is running his next Chocolate & Gastronomy Tour from 31 March through 6 April. Debbie and I went on this great tour a couple of years ago, which included a fantastic TGV (200 mph) train trip to Switzerland, where we stayed at the magnificent Lausanne Palace. Debbie and I are used to the four and five star hotels in Paris, but the rooms David somehow got for us at the Lausanne Palace took our breath away. A trip we took into the Swiss mountains alone made the trip worthwhile. We visited a small distinctive vineyard, explored a cheese cave with a small town cheese maker, and had lunch on a porch in one of the world’s most distinctive settings. Lucky us and lucky you if you can snag one of the handful of slots available. I would wire your money today. When Debbie and I went with David, I was at my bank pre its opening to make certain I was first in getting my wire out.

Waiting for David Lebovitz

A great bonus for David’s 2014 Gastronomy tour will be a guest appearance by former International Herald Tribune editor Mort Rosenblum, who will give you an introduction to chocolate. Mort has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize eight times and has written a dozen books (five of which I own). Mort literally wrote the book on chocolate as well as on olives. Under the category it’s a small world, last fall Debbie and I bumped into Mort walking along a quiet Paris side street in the 7th arrondissement. We also tried to see David at a book signing at Shakespeare & Company. Do not want to miss out on a visit to Shakespeare & Company. The original Shakespeare was located at 12 rue de Odeon in St. Germain des Pres, which is among our favorite ‘hoods in Paris (left bank). Before your trip, go to David’s website (www.davidlebovitz.com) and read his recommendations in My Paris. You will not find a more resourceful site for your Paris vacation.

We could eat in nothing but newly discovered bistros and brasseries and have spent years running down the best b&b resources. Following David’s reviews, I advise that you download Paris-Paris-Paris.com Best Bistros and Best Brasseries in Paris. Next up you want Feast Your Eyes from theguardian.com. And do not miss from saveur.com the 23 Best Bistros in Paris. Debbie and I simply cannot spend enough time with great bistro and brasseries intelligence and have spent untold hours tromping the streets of Paris to hunt them down. I hope you will enjoy the videos I have linked for you here. I know you will benefit from the books and articles I have linked.

A world of additional Parisian intelligence is available for you at richardcyoung.com. Simply click to Lifestyle/Dick & Deb on the Road/Paris, and you will be fortified with enough intelligence to make you feel like an insider even before you sink into your Air France seat for your great Parisian adventure. If you are traveling by train to visit other areas of France or on your return trip to the states, order a Jambon and Fromage baguette from Bread & Roses to bring along with you. They are absolutely delicious. With that said, Air France first or business class does about as a good job with meals as you could ask for, and the wine selections are uniformly excellent. Typing all this up for you makes me both darn hungry as well as excited about our next intelligence gathering French trip this coming spring. Finally you will have hit the Paris gourmet jackpot if you can steal some spots on David Lebovitz’s spring 2014 culinary road show.